Paladin: A Good Man Stands Tall
by Chaosengine
Summary: In a world ravaged by tyranny, a young man fights to protect what he belives in. Will Kim and Shego accept him for what he is, or will he die trying? AU.


_The characters depicted are property of Disney. I make no profit of any kind from its presentation. The following is a serious and emotional story very much unlike anything I currently have posted. It is an attempt at proving to myself as well as my detractors that I am capable of something other than infantile humor. This will either be a huge folly or a great improvement. We'll have to see which one._

"_It is in the blood; if you don't understand…  
__ You never will.  
__ -- Stormwarrior_

Daoloth, the single most powerful corporate entity in the world had ascended to tyranny. It began as a simple company, like most do. Through means beyond all expectation, it overcame government, religion and social structure to clamp an iron fist over the whole of the world. Those who chose to live outside of Daoloth were considered refuse. Castoffs, vagabonds, nomads and beggars, these unfortunates were forced to live in the wastelands, harsh desert areas that were either farmed and mined into ruin or were the former test locations for biological and energy warfare.

Starvation, disease and suffering ran rampant through these outland settlements. Mutated organisms of great size and frightening aggression only added to the danger. Crime and persecution became everyday parts of life. In an attempt to improve living conditions, groups were formed to commit raids and theft within Daoloth territory. These groups were accused of forming a rebellion against the ruling order and were considered the same as terrorists. With paranoia running rampant amongst both civilians and Daoloth management, severe measures were about to be enacted to prevent a veritable 'uprising'.

In light of all the corruption, despite the plummeting value of life, is it possible that a fount of decency might still exist? Somewhere, out in the world at large, a noble heart beats silently. Will it rise to a crescendo, or flutter and die? Only time can tell…

* * *

** Chaosengine Proudly Presents…**

A cloud of dust appeared on the horizon, growing ever larger as it gained speed. The outlines of an armored transport emerged from the billowing dirt, its cold metallic skin reflecting the harsh rays of the burning sun. It came to a sudden standstill and remained motionless for but a moment. Its side door flew open, as a horde of uniformed, Daoloth soldiers spilled forth. Their suits, which glinted with the color of gun metal, covered everything but the lower halves of their faces. Armed to the teeth, these men were here for one purpose, to find the vehicle which recently strayed into Daoloth territory without proper authorization.

"Alright, gentlemen, the suspects are in this area!" The commanding officer was a giant of a man, standing taller and wider than everyone on his team. "The tire killers at the border damaged 'em enough to force 'em to stop. Being that this is the only waterin' hole in a hundred miles, they gotta be here."

"Shoot to kill!" He added the last statement with a sinister drawl.

"Commander!" A thinner, smaller soldier stepped from the line. "These are only suspects, shouldn't we determine if they're a threat BEFORE we terminate?"

The beast turned sharply and faced the private.

"Boy, in this outfit my orders are GOSPEL!" The commander nailed the soldier with a kick to the chest, knocking him to the ground. "If you can't follow what I say, than you'll be shot for treason!"

The man on the ground glared up at the brute, a look of anger and surprise on his young face.

"Team One will head North, Team Two will try East…" The leader scowled at the grounded man. "You'll go WEST!"

"Alone!?" The smaller soldier leapt to his feet. "That's suicide!"

"That's what happens when you don't follow orders!" The heartless bastard turned and laughed. "See ya in hell, runt!"

The lone man watched as his entire team abandoned him to his fate. Left with only a canteen of water, handgun and a busted up motorcycle that could be considered an antique, the soldier was on his own against a desert that claimed thousands of lives every week.

He removed his helmet and peeled the goggles from over top of it. Placing the lenses on his forehead, he adjusted the strap on the back and pulled it tight.

"Here we go…"

Josh Mankey, only twenty three years old, had been in the service for less than three months. The need for soldiers had been so desperate that he was rushed through basic training and sent to active duty weeks ahead of schedule. He knew of quite a few guys in his exact position who hadn't survived the first month, which could be considered good OR bad luck, depending on your perspective.

** Paladin:  
**** A Good Man Stands Tall**

* * *

The desert wind bit into his skin like a thousand needles, rendering his face numb. Over an hour of searching and no sign of anything other than sand and rocks. Shutting off his bike to conserve fuel, he pushed it towards an outcropping of jagged rocks. According to his map, a small water well was supposed to be nearby. Not enough for a Daoloth border team, but enough for a single man to freshen his canteen.

As he rounded a large fist shaped boulder, Josh caught sight of another vehicle. A large, run down van sat motionless some fifty feet away. Several of its tires were shredded, an obvious symptom of an illegal border crossing.

"It's them!" Mankey cocked his pistol and cautiously approached.

Careful inspection revealed the van had no occupants inside. As he was about to search its contents, a shout, followed by a horrid wailing snapped him to attention. Dashing to the opposite side of a large, stone archway, the soldier froze in his tracks.

"A… MUTANT?!"

Rising like a devil from the abyss, a massive, cactoid monstrosity towered over him. Barbed tentacles, like vicious whips, lashed in all directions. Amidst the vines, a figure dangled in the beasts grasp. Fighting viciously, a green skinned woman battled for her life. Her jumpsuit was ripped in a dozen places, blood dripped from the open wounds, staining the sand. Despite the female's ferocity, the outcome of this battle was not hard to predict.

"What do I do?!" Josh felt panic overtake him.

Everything seemed to come to a stop, as his heart raced in his chest. Sweat poured from his flesh like a deluge. A million thoughts tore through mind, until he settled on a single vision. A memory.

* * *

A small boy stood facing a pretty, older woman. She knelt and lightly adjusted his clothes, gently buttoning his dress shirt.

"Momma, do I gotta take him with me?" The boy looked to the sweet woman with a pout.

"Yes, sweety, he's your little brother." She rose to her feet and began carefully combing his hair.

"But why?" An indignant glare washed over the lad.

"You have to look out for him and protect him." She looked at the boy lovingly. "It's what good boys do."

The older woman hugged the young one and looked at him softly, thoughtfully.

"You're a good boy, Josh." A hint of sadness touched the corners of her eyes. "Never forget that."

* * *

'_Never forget that.'_

Her voice echoed in his mind. The choice was clear. There was only one thing to do.

The motorcycle roared to life, as the goggled rider gripped his gun and barreled headlong towards the hellish nightmare. Putting aside fear and doubt, Mankey fired three quick shots at the thing's core, tearing large holes that poured greenish vitriol.

The sick howling increased in volume as the hungry devil focused on the new target. A hail of tentacles fired like spears towards the soldier, their thick barbs growing as they traveled. Pulling his body in one direction, then another, he prevented the foul arms from scoring a solid hit. His uniform was slowly being shredded, as near misses took their toll.

Two more shots landed directly in the mutant's trunk, forcing fluid to geyser like a repulsive fountain.

* * *

"Who the HELL is THAT?!" Shego caught sight of the nut on the bike as she lashed at the thing with glowing, green hands. "Is he CRAZY?!"

Before her startled eyes, the plant's trunk split open, pulled back, and revealed a huge, fanged mouth. The tentacles which held her began moving towards the wicked orifice.

"I drop my guard for ONE second and THIS happens!" The woman had gone for the last three days with little food and sleep. "Where the HELL is KIM?!"

* * *

Josh nearly choked as he watched the thing's hidden face appear. The woman was rapidly running out of time.

"SHIT!" The momentary distraction was enough to spell doom.

Tentacles burst from the sand just ahead of him, forming a wall of barbed death. With no time to react, Josh was plucked from his hog and hefted into the air. The bike flipped end over end and landed uselessly near the creature's base.

Barbs tore through his fatigues and ripped into his flesh, forcing him to cry out. Biting through the agony, he aimed towards his bike and fired. The gas tank burst, spraying flaming fuel all over the plant, squeezing another blood curdling howl from its jaws.

"Why won't you DIE?!" Mankey glared at the damned thing.

The woman was now only inches from being devoured, her boots were above and below its snapping jaws, barely keeping her from harm.

"I CAN"T let her DIE!!" He shoved his hand into his pocket.

Clasping a grenade, he withdrew it and pulled the pin with his teeth. As he readied to heave it, a fanged tentacle clamped over his hand. The teeth crushed his fingers and pinned the grenade AND it's trigger together, preventing it from going off.

"SHIT!!" Josh screamed in pain, as his hand was mangled.

If the trigger couldn't be somehow released, the both of them were as good as dead. Dangling like a marionette, he tried drawing a bead on the vine. Each shot missed, as the damned thing darted back and forth, intentionally evading his efforts. There was only one thing holding still enough to possibly hit.

"It's the only way…" Mankey bit his lip.

* * *

"What the FUCK is he DOING?!" Shego watched with horror as the stranger aimed his gun one last time.

A single shot was followed by a horrendous scream of pain. She watched his twitching figure fall and hit the sand with a gross flop. As he writhed in unbelievable agony, the beast released the gnarled lump in its tentacle and prepared to lunge at the now helpless soldier. The trigger of the grenade, once held but now free, popped loose and a hellish explosion followed. A gigantic chunk was blown out of the mutant, sending a literal shower of viscous fluid in all directions.

"Shego!!" A redheaded girl shot into view.

The demon howled its death rattle and collapsed, dropping its hostage to the ground. Shego rolled slightly and came to a stop.

"Shego, MY GAWD, are you alright?!" The newcomer dashed to the fallen woman's side.

"Help HIM… help that GUY!!" Shego gasped between deep breathes. "DO IT!!"

Possible ran to the soldier and grimaced at the sight of his wounds.

"HOLD ON!"

The man blacked out….

* * *

"Who the hell is he?" Kim stuck a syringe into the man's arm and pushed the plunger.

"I don't know…" Shego sat staring blankly into the desert.

The former plant hostage had at least a dozen bandages covering her shapely frame. Between the two, her injuries were far less threatening than the young mans.

"I've pumped him full of painkillers, sedatives and antibiotics just to be on the safe side." Possible checked the bandages on his stump. "This should do until he gets back to civilization."

"Lucky for him we were smuggling medical supplies." The green woman stood up and looked hard at the soldier. "Why did he do that?"

"That thing did quite a number on him." The redhead sighed and looked to her partner.

"The mutant didn't do that to him…" Shego clenched her jaw and paused. "He did it himself… to save me."

"What?!" Kim stared in disbelief. "We don't even KNOW him, it doesn't make sense!"

"I saw it myself…" The raven-haired fighter took a few steps until she shadowed over him. "I've run every possible explanation through my head, but nuthin' adds up."

"He's wearing a Daoloth uniform, which means there's more around somewhere." Possible opened the rear of the van and began removing spare tires. "If we leave him here they're bound to find him."

"No, he comes with us!" Shego removed a jack from the passenger's side and placed it under the van. "I wanna know who he is!"

"We'll go from smuggling to kidnapping!" Kim eyed her partner with suspicion. "Are you sure about this?"

"I don't care!" She hissed in anger. "I wanna know who he is and what he thinks he's doing!"

Possible frowned and remained silent. She knew all about her partners proclivities and despite any vocal protests, in the end, Shego did what she wanted.

Shego focused her green eyes on the unconscious stranger. She was overcome by feelings of anger, doubt and worst of all, appreciation. Looking down at the stump on his left arm, she clenched her teeth and swore under her breath.

'_Who blows their own hand off to save a STRANGER?!'_

Kim Possible and Shego had been working against Daoloth for years. Everything from spying, sabotage and smuggling fell under their capabilities. The duo were practically inseparable.

Relying entirely on each other, the two didn't need to trust anyone else and given the suffering and desperation of the average outlander, trust would have been hard to come by in the first place. The recent situation, however, was of such rarity, that the green woman had no choice but to contemplate any possible angle the boy was playing. Trouble was… she couldn't come up with one that fit.

"Alright, HOLD it right THERE!" A gruff voice caught the two smugglers by surprise.

A pair of Daoloth soldiers approached the van, weapons drawn. Kim slowly placed her hands on her head and scowled.

"What the HELL?!" Shego stuck her head out of the van, only to run nose first into a gun barrel. "Shit…"

"So, looks like it's our lucky day!" The larger of the pigs removed his goggles and smirked. "Can't say I've arrested strays as hot as you two."

His partner chuckled in a revolting manner and cocked his rifle.

"Look, we have papers of transport!" Kim stated, trying to remain calm. "They're in the van."

"Sorry, missy, it ain't PAPERS were interested in." The man took a step forward. "How 'bout you take your clothes off slowly, THEN we'll talk about papers!"

"Predictable…" Shego spat with disgust.

"Can it, BITCH, or I'll grease ya both!" The secondary swine gripped his weapon with rage. "Now take 'em OFF!"

The two women looked at each other, hatching a silent plan. Kim slowly removed her coat to reveal a light green tank top. Shego unzipped the front of her shredded jumpsuit to show a swath of soft, green skin. Both girls smirked at each other, knowing the beating the two men were about to receive.

"Now THAT'S what I call a job perk!" The arrogant slob extended a gloved hand towards Kim, his eyes showing only lust.

The redhead slowly slid her left leg back and tensed, preparing to strike.

A foot suddenly collided with the second soldier's groin, doubling him over in horrid pain. A jack handle swung around and slammed the larger grunt in the skull, just as he turned to watch his friend slump over. Mankey had moved to the soldiers' blind spot and intervened.

"We… have to… RUN!" The man could barely stand, the pain in his arm unbearable.

"Who ARE you?!" Shego dashed forward and grabbed Josh by the neck.

"Orders… are to… kill… on SIGHT!" The soldier's vision swam, his head reeled with agony.

"They're gonna KILL us!?" Kim quickly replaced her coat. "Without any evidence?!"

"He's one of 'em, let's waste him!" The woman surrounded her hand with green energy and drew back a fist.

"NO, let's take him back for questioning!" Possible pulled her partner off the man.

"Whatever you're up to, it's NOT gonna fool ME!" Shego shouted at the stranger, her voice cracking with emotion.

Josh, barely coherent, mumbled the only thought he could muster in his delirium.

"I'm sorry…"

Mankey flopped to the ground, losing consciousness yet again.

"What is this guy's DEAL?!" Shego stared at him with apprehension.

The redhead scooped him up and shoved him into the back of the van.

"We'll figure it out later; just help me fix these tires!" Kim picked up the jack handle.

Shego grabbed a length of rope from their vehicle and tied the two horny soldiers together, adding a few slaps and punches to the process to help calm herself down.

"Once we get back to Zero Town, we'll question him and figure all this out." Kim looked at the older woman thoughtfully.

"I should just chuck him out in the desert with his two buddies, that'll FIGURE him out!" Shego glared at the man viciously.

* * *

With the flat tires rapidly replaced, the van tore across the wasteland carrying the three passengers into the deeper desert. Their destination was a run down outland camp referred to as, "Zero Town". Being home to several hundred people, the medical supplies the smugglers carried were worth their weight in gold, second only to clean water.

Several hours passed and Kim stopped before a massive mound of broken stones. Leaning out the window, she held a small mirror in her hand. Adjusting the reflective surface, she caught the sun and aimed it towards the top of the boulders. A few seconds later, a second reflection appeared from the concealed snipers crouching above. With the go ahead confirmed, the van descended down a narrow path that wound its way into the rocks.

A small group of ragged people stood in the path of the van, waving them to stop. Recognizing the pair, the guards stepped aside and allowed the vehicle to proceed.

Tents and lean-tos dotted the landscape as scattered groups of refugees huddled together to escape the burning sunlight. Only a handful of permanent structures actually existed, most of them were set aside for sheltering the wounded or concealing the recently deceased. Zero Town, despite its best intentions, was slowly dying. Once meant to be a safe haven away from the iron hand of Daoloth, the shanty town was being strangled by an influx of ragged survivors and greater barriers in the way of supplies and resources.

Within seconds of stopping, the van was quickly surrounded by scores of desperate, needy people.

The two women began passing out the supplies. Bandages, blankets, sterile dressing, anything that could relieve misery was handed over willingly. As always, however, what they had was never enough.

"We have to save the drugs and syringes for Wade and Mom." Kim had concealed the aforementioned items before entering town. "I hope we got the right stuff."

"Anne will make it work." Shego closed the rear doors and climbed into the driver's seat. "She always does."

The sick room was the only building in the whole place that had an actual foundation. It was little more than a single room with half a dozen beds or so, all of them currently occupied. Anne Possible, Kim's mother, was the only doctor for hundreds of miles. Since her and her daughter's arrival, she's barely had a moment to herself with all of the sick and injured filing in everyday. The pace was hectic, but luckily, she had help.

Wade Load, the boy genius and resident tech expert, was her willing assistant. An inventor, a mechanic and former Daoloth researcher, Wade had a hand in nearly everything that took place in town. Like Anne, Load was well past being run ragged.

"Kim's back." Wade peered out of the greasy window. "I hope she found us something useful."

"I sure she did." Anne placed her fingers on a patents wrist, checking his pulse. "She's never let us down."

The van pulled around behind the building and the rear doors popped open. The redhead leapt out of the vehicle and raced inside.

"We grabbed everything we could." Kim hugged her mother and handed her a metal case. "We ran into a lot of trouble this time."

"What kind of trouble?" Wade raised an eyebrow in concern.

"This kind!" Shego pointed into the van at the unconscious Josh. "Mr. Nice Guy."

"He's wearing a Daoloth uniform!" Anne looked to her daughter with suspicion. "Sweety, why did you bring him here?"

"He helped us, although we don't know why…" Kim looked at the man softly. "He… injured himself to save Shego."

"Whatever…" The raven haired woman gave the van a swift kick in frustration. "I still don't trust him."

"He did THIS to HIMSELF?" Anne gently lifted his wounded arm. "Spies don't usually cripple themselves to infiltrate the enemy."

"The beds are all full, but I can rig something for him." Wade wiped his forehead and walked back inside.

"Once he wakes back up, I'm gonna smack the truth outta him!" Shego glowered at the man.

"Shego, you'll do no such thing!" Anne looked the angry woman in the eyes. "Until we know if he's an enemy or not, we treat him with care. We're not savages."

"WHATEVER!" Turning her back, the enraged amazon walked away in dejection.

"She's having a really hard time dealing with this." Kim watched her leave with sadness. "Being nearly killed was bad enough, but being saved by a man, only made it worse."

"She's strong, Kimberly, she'll work it out." The elder Possible kissed her daughter on the forehead and gently hugged her. "I'm just glad your both safe."

"Yeah…" Kim looked at Mankey. "What about him?"

* * *

Hours had past and Josh's condition had surprisingly improved. His bandages were replaced with fresh ones and an I.V. was attached to his arm, providing much needed painkillers and antibiotics. Despite the decent care, Mankey remained unconscious.

"He's tougher than he looks." Wade sat on a metal folding chair and exhaled.

"No cosmetic alterations, no Daoloth barcodes of any kind, this young man is obviously not your average border grunt." Anne ran her fingers through his hair. "They don't make 'em like this anymore."

The door to the med center burst open, as a ragged man wrapped in cloth rushed up to the doctors.

"Soldiers!" The man gasped with fear. "They FOUND US!"

"Oh gawd, NO!"

* * *

An armored vehicle tore past the entry guards, as their bullets bounced off of its metallic hide. Refugees leapt out of its path as it barreled headlong into town.

"Shit, they must have followed us!" Shego shouted to her partner.

"We have to evacuate the women and children!" Possible looked at Shego. "Protect the medical room!"

The transport squealed to a halt as half a dozen soldiers stormed out, guns at the ready.

"All you desert scabs are hereby ordered to drop your weapons and surrender!" The leader grinned wickedly as he shouted through a bullhorn. "Don't make this any harder on yourselves!"

"I surrender!" A haggard man with rags for clothing stepped forward. "My wife and daughter need food and water, please help us!"

The garrulous commander pulled his sidearm and shot the man dead.

"I don't take orders; I give 'em!" He grunted with arrogance. "The next one of you vagrants who steps outta line, gets the same thing as him!"

A blast of green energy slammed the man in the chest, knocking the bullhorn from his hand and knocking him over. He glared with rage at the green woman who hurled it.

"Why don't you COWARDS go the HELL back home!" Shego spat with force.

A group of armed rebels took positions behind scattered piles of debris and aimed at the intruders.

"The HELL with this, KILL 'em ALL!" The commander screamed the order.

A massive gunfight ensued, as men on both sides were shot dead in the violent exchange.

On the opposite side of camp, Kim led as many innocents as she could to a concealed entrance in the surrounding cliff walls.

"Hurry, don't stop for anything!" The redhead ushered them into a cave that had been set aside for just such an emergency.

Amidst the firefight, the Daoloth commander grabbed a little girl who became separated from her mother and held the child at gun point.

"Drop yer guns, dogs, or the baby gets greased!" The bastard smiled like a devil and thumbed the hammer on his pistol. "Who wants the girly to lose her brains?"

"That's cheap, you damned lowlife!" Shego fired a look of pure hate at the monster.

One by one, the rebels dropped their guns, leaving the soldiers to beat them into submission. Shego found multiple barrels jammed into her face.

"That's her!" A familiar voice chimed in. "That's one of the bitches that tied up me and Lem!"

A gun butt slammed into Shego's guts, dropping her to her knees.

"SHEGO!" Kim dashed towards the brutes, only to be stopped dead.

"Hold it, baby, unless you want this kid's brains to leave her little skull!" The leader rested his pistol against her cheek.

"NO…" Kim clenched her fists, righteous indignation coursed through her veins.

"First we're gonna rape the living hell outta you two BITCHES, and then we're gonna stake you out for the vultures!" The soldiers laughed like the Devil's own.

The Commander felt something slam into his side as the child was ripped from his oily grasp. A young man with blond highlights positioned himself between the thugs and the medical center; the little girl clutched his leg with fear.

"Leave them ALONE!" Josh stood his ground, though unarmed. "Real men don't act like this!"

The commander scowled at the interloper as he recognized the man from earlier.

"Runt, so you didn't die, nice work." The huge man marched towards Josh. "Now stand aside, that's an ORDER!"

Josh swallowed hard and stared unblinking at the beastly man.

"I'm NOT MOVING!"

"You LITTLE SHIT!" The thug roared as he holstered his pistol. "I'm gonna beat some sense into you!"

Dashing forward, the officer clocked Mankey in the face with a powerful right, staggering him. He followed with a punch to the gut and a vicious head butt that forced Josh backward until his back slammed against the door of the med center.

"I'm NOT MOVING!" Mankey spat a mouthful of blood onto the ground.

Swallowing his fear, Josh threw a punch, glancing the man's jaw. The blow had little effect other than enraging the brute even more.

"You piece of SHIT!" The commander rushed in for the kill.

"STOP IT!" Kim was beside herself with feelings of helplessness.

"You cowardly sons-of-bitches, fight someone who can handle themselves!" Shego made a move, only to get belted across the face.

The horrid leader pummeled Josh into a bloody pulp, each blow resounded like thunder, forcing those who watched to wince in pity. Mankey, however, refused to fall. Barely able to stand, the smaller man bit back the pain and braced himself against the door, refusing to budge.

"I… won't… let you…" Blood poured from his mouth.

"That poor boy!" Anne held back tears as she watched from within the shelter. "Someone, please, HELP HIM!"

The haggard defenders watched with rage, as a stranger withstood an inhuman beating, all to defend a town he didn't live in. Enough was enough.

"You filthy PIGS!" A bearded straggler slammed a rock into the head of one of the soldiers. "You leave that boy ALONE!"

The rebels, now outraged, overpowered the guards and ripped the instruments of death from their hands. Shego flew into them like a lion, beating the living hell out of as many as she could get her hands on.

Kim dove towards the leader, sweeping his legs out from under him. The brute dropped like a rock, only to catch a sweep kick to the face. Possible dove on top of him and rained down blows of fury, giving the animal a taste of his own medicine.

A bloodied Josh looked down at the child and forced himself to smile. Sliding down the door, his head lolled to one side in exhaustion. A tiny tear trickled down the little girls face as she hugged and left a tiny kiss on the man's cheek.

"Good GAWD, you poor BABY!" Anne burst through the door and wrapped her arms around Josh. "WADE, help me, HURRY!"

"Who IS HE?!" Load grabbed a first aid kick and knelt at Anne's side.

"He's got balls of steel, that one does!" One of the refugees approached, a look of respect and concern on his withered face.

"Mom, is he gonna be okay?!" Kim bound and gagged the unconscious leader.

"What kind of IDIOT goes against a guy twice his size when he can't even fight?!" Shego dropped the last of the guards with a vicious uppercut to the jaw.

"A BRAVE one, that's who!" The little girl spoke up, biting back tears.

The Daoloth soldiers were tossed into one of the adjoining caves around the town and locked up, until a decision could be made as to their fate. The armored vehicle was hauled to the center of the camp to be stripped for parts and supplies. Groups of rebels headed out to scout the area for any other patrol units that may have accompanied the first.

A small measure of peace returned to the town, at least for now…

* * *

Josh sat in a rather large tent, staring at his swollen face in a small piece of broken mirror.

Just when the pain in his arm started going away, a new pain came along to replace it. He sighed out loud and set the mirror down.

"Are you okay?"

A sweet voice got his attention from outside the entry flap. Kim poked her head in and addressed the man.

"I brought you something to eat." She held a small plate in her hands.

"Th… thank you." Mankey gladly accepted it and dug in.

"I made it myself…" The redhead looked away in embarrassment. "I'm not the best cook."

Mankey wolfed it down like a starving dog. Kim blushed slightly and smiled.

"You have a name?" Possible regarded him with interest.

"Josh…" He replied between bites. "Josh Mankey."

"Why are you doing all of this, Josh?" Kim stared at him with utmost seriousness. "You're not an outlander, why put yourself through all this pain?"

Mankey stopped eating and considered his answer carefully. Memories of his father swirled about his brain, reigniting his sense of decency.

"Hurting women and children is WRONG!" Josh looked to her with a confident stare. "I won't let it happen… not if I have a choice!"

Kim felt a storm of emotions building inside of her. Something about this young man was different, something that she was unable to explain.

"Take your time…" She spoke haltingly, trying to reel in her feelings. "You heal up, okay?"

She quickly exited the tent. Looking back, she swallowed hard and ran a hand through her hair. _'Josh, are you the real thing?'_

Only seconds after Kim walked out, someone else walked in. Shego regarded the man with anger.

"Now look what you've done…" She stared unblinking at the man.

"What?" Mankey recognized rage when he saw it.

"You've tricked KIM into believing you now!" Shego grabbed Josh by his collar and dragged him to his feet. "Do you know how much damage you're going to cause?"

"Damage?" Josh looked at her with confusion. "What damage?"

"Making people believe in you, especially if you're not strong enough to save yourself is UNFORGIVABLE!" The woman shook him with force. "Who do you think you ARE?!"

"Someone who WON'T stand by and watch a little kid get SHOT!" Josh shouted back, fire filling his veins.

"Josh, you said your name was Josh?" The green woman dropped him to the ground. "You think your SPECIAL? You think you don't have to abide by the rules that the rest of us do?"

"If killing me will make you feel better, than just DO IT!" Mankey stood up and looked the woman right in the eye. "I'll NEVER apologize for doing the right thing!!"

"DAMN YOU!!" Shego grabbed Mankey with both hands and shoved him against the tent's center post.

Gritting her teeth, she locked eyes with the man for several seconds. Josh stared right back, despite his fear of the woman.

"You've had this coming!" She narrowed her eyes at him.

"I'm NOT apologizing!"

Shego clasped her hands around the man's head as she shoved her lips against his. The woman held him in place as she hungrily kissed him, leaving Josh stunned and in shock. Releasing him suddenly, she pushed him away and stepped back. Mankey stared at her speechless.

"If you prove to be a FRAUD, I'll kill you MYSELF!" Shego turned and abruptly departed.

Josh dropped to a sitting position, a look of utter befuddlement on his face.

"What the hell just happened?"

* * *

**END CHAPTER 1**

* * *


End file.
